The police department released bodycam footage of the incident.
DALLAS — Police have released bodycam footage and information related to an officer-involved shooting outside of a Dallas home on Saturday.
In the video, deputy chief Terrence Rhodes identified the man police shot at as 60-year-old Jerome Stevenson, who was not struck or injured.
The deputy chief said police got a call at about 10 a.m. about an “armed encounter” on Hudsepth Avenue. They were told by the caller that Stevenson shot at them with an “AK style rifle,” Rhodes said.
Dallas officers Robert Lyons and Holly Harris got to the scene minutes later and found Stevenson’s son and a juvenile in the front yard. Stevenson’s son identified the child as his own son in the video.
Stevenson’s son pointed at the front door and said his dad was on the porch. According to Rhodes, officers saw Stevenson in the doorway with a rifle pointing in their direction.
Lyons gave Stevenson verbal commands to drop the gun, but Stevenson didn’t comply, Rhodes said. That’s when Lyons fired his weapon at the man.
The deputy chief said the bullet struck the door frame and no one involved was hurt. According to him, Harris didn’t fire her weapon.
Stevenson surrendered in the front yard and stated multiple times that he no longer had a gun.
Dallas police said Stevenson was then taken to headquarters to be interviewed by detectives. According to the police department, Stevenson said he shot his rifle in the air twice during a fight with his family.
Investigators later determined that the 911 caller changed their original statement, confirming that Stevenson shot in the air and not at them, police said.
During the interview, the man claimed that he didn’t know police officers were there until he was told to drop the gun.
Police said they obtained a search warrant for the home. While serving the warrant, they found two holes in the ceiling, which supported Stevenson’s interview.
Officers also found a rifle inside the doorway of the home, according to police.
Deputy Chief Rhodes said Stevenson was arrested for discharging a firearm in “certain municipalities” with a population of more than 100,000.
The department’s Special Investigations Unit is still looking into the incident while the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office conducts a separate investigation. The department said the Office of Community Police Oversight also responded to the scene.
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